I’ve been reading about the Eagles of Death Metal being kicked off/dropping off the GnR tour a bit the last few days. Apparently Axl said that the EODM were shit and would be removed from the tour because of a bad performance on their first night on the tour. Only Axl wasn’t even in the building until about half hour before his set. Jesse from the EODM calls his band “a bunch of happy go lucky sincere and real deal rock and rollers.” Now I don’t know how true that is but I know that Axl Rose isn’t. Axl Rose is more concerned with looking good, jet setting and the after party than he is with performing, his music and his fans.
You can argue that he is concerned about the music; he did spend about 10 years and 13 million dollars working on the follow-up to the last GnR album. But, it took so long because music trends kept changing and he stated several times that the album didn’t fit it with what was popular. So he had to redo all the songs to make them fit with the times. GnR fans liked GnR music, not GnR doing music in the style of other people.
You can argue he does care about performing. Sure the band has been on tour quite a bit around the world the last several months. But where has he been the last 10 years? The rest of the old GnR members have been out writing, recording and touring their asses off. The current members of the band dropped their busy schedules of writing, recording and touring with their own bands to do this tour. Also, several shows on the tour have been canceled by Axl for various reasons, the most frequent reason is low tickets sales and the BEST reason ever, the venue did not permit alcohol. The asshole canceled the show hours before because he didn’t know he couldn’t have alcohol at the show. The thousands of people that bought tickets didn’t care, they wanted to see and hear the band.
The jet setting and after parties? Allegedly Axl leaves right after the show and heads to the club hosting the VIP after party, or gets on a plane and goes to the nearest hip city to go clubbing. Their are pictures of that jerk all over fashion wire hanging with models and celebs in cities other than the one he is playing in before and after the show.
What makes him different than Paris Hilton and the rest of the celebutantes that are only famous for being children of rich or famous people? Is it OK for him because he was poor and homeless and then became rich and famous? Is it OK for him because he had several critically acclaimed albums? Don’t forget, he ran away from home and moved to LA to BECOME RICH AND FAMOUS.
So, where am I now in this rant? Axl Rose has become exactly what he wanted when he ran away from his home in the Mid-West and exactly what he rails against in his songs. Axl Rose in no more a “real deal rock and roller” than my mom is.